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<Title>max</Title>
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<H1>max</H1>

<Table CellPadding=0 CellSpacing=0 width=100%>
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<TD Align=left><Img src = "algorithms.gif" Alt=""   WIDTH = "194"  HEIGHT = "38" ></TD>
<TD Align=right><Img src = "function.gif" Alt=""   WIDTH = "194"  HEIGHT = "38" ></TD>
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<TD Align=left><Img src = "utilities.gif" Alt=""   WIDTH = "194"  HEIGHT = "38" ></TD>
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<TR>
<TD Align=left VAlign=top><b>Categories</b>: algorithms, utilities</TD>
<TD Align=right VAlign=top><b>Component type</b>: function</TD>
</TR>
</Table>

<h3>Prototype</h3>
<tt>Max</tt> is an overloaded name; there are actually two 
<tt>max</tt> functions.    
<pre>
template &lt;class T&gt; const T&amp; max(const T&amp; a, const T&amp; b);

template &lt;class T, class <A href="BinaryPredicate.html">BinaryPredicate</A>&gt;
const T&amp; max(const T&amp; a, const T&amp; b, BinaryPredicate comp);
</pre>                   
<h3>Description</h3>
<tt>Max</tt> returns the greater of its two arguments; it returns the first
argument if neither is greater than the other.
<P>
The two versions of <tt>max</tt> differ in how they define whether one
element is less than another.  The first version compares
objects using <tt>operator&lt;</tt>, and the second compares objects using
the <A href="functors.html">function object</A> <tt>comp</tt>.
<h3>Definition</h3>
Defined in the standard header <A href="algorithm">algorithm</A>, and in the nonstandard
backward-compatibility header <A href="algo.h">algo.h</A>.
<h3>Requirements on types</h3>
For the first version:
<UL>
<LI>
<tt>T</tt> is a model of  <A href="LessThanComparable.html">LessThan Comparable</A>.
</UL>
For the second version:
<UL>
<LI>
<tt>BinaryPredicate</tt> is a model of <A href="BinaryPredicate.html">Binary Predicate</A>.
<LI>
<tt>T</tt> is convertible to <tt>BinaryPredicate</tt>'s first argument type and
   to its second argument type.
</UL>
<h3>Preconditions</h3>
<h3>Complexity</h3>
<h3>Example</h3>
<pre>
const int x = max(3, 9);
assert(x == 9);
</pre>
<h3>Notes</h3>
<h3>See also</h3>
<tt><A href="min.html">min</A></tt>, <tt><A href="min_element.html">min_element</A></tt>, <tt><A href="max_element.html">max_element</A></tt>, <A href="LessThanComparable.html">LessThan Comparable</A>

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